Knocked up and on benefits? Or salaried and sorted? The worst myths about young British women today

A new report argues that media's portrayal of women is either "bad
behaviour, benefits and babies," or "successful, salaried and
sorted". But its own conclusion that women's real story is one
“loneliness, isolation and fear" perpetrates yet another myth,
argues Jemima Thackray

Vicky Pollard only ever wore a pink tracksuit in the comedy series Little BritainPhoto: BBC

To my shame I’ve only just found out that there’s a women’s equivalent of theYMCA. Lacking the help of the Village People, the organisation (formerly called the YWCA– the Young Women’s Christian Association) has never attracted the same publicity as its male counterpart. Their recent branding crisis hasn’t helped either; in 2011 it changed its name to Platform 51 to reflect the fact that 51 per cent of the population are women, but this was quickly deemed to be too confusing. So last month it went back to its roots and became YWT, the Young Women’s Trust.

Myth-busting

Last night YWT launched its first report: ‘The Real Story’, which aims to debunk some of the myths about young women often propagated by the media. The false story, the report claims, is one “told through the pages of magazines and episodes of reality TV. It’s a story of two halves. Either bad behaviour, benefits and babies. Or successful, salaried, sorted.” The real story, the report argues, is one of “loneliness, isolation and fear. Thwarted ambitions, harmful relationships, and emotional and financial insecurity.” It’s not exactly a jolly read ...

Although much of the document provides useful, even crucial, information for policymakers, I have to take issue with a few of its statements. In particular, the way many of the findings are presented as if they are problems exclusive to women. According to the YWT poll:

Only half the story

But these statistics are of limited value unless compared with similar data about men. My inkling is that lots of young men would also say “they have no one to turn to when they can’t figure out their problems by themselves”, that they suffer with “low self-confidence and self-worth”, and many of the other depressing statements the YWT claim for young women.

Moreover, the causes are probably very similar for both sexes – loneliness resulting from lack of authentic community, plus the absence of spiritual fulfilment (which, from my perspective as a chaplain, are two of the biggest causes of our current social dystopia) are problems faced by the whole of our society, not just women.

Women worse off?

However, there are some extremely disheartening statistics in the report which do indeed show that there are areas where particular solutions for women are desperately needed. For example, the fact that, contrary to the public image of NEETs (those Not in Employment, Education or Training) as young men in hoodies playing computer games all day, there are actually 100,000 more young female NEETs than male. Another statistic that shocked me was that there are now double the number of women in low paid jobs compared to men: that’s two million women compared to one million men.

These statements, seen altogether in one woeful document, has made me realise just how much I view issues of women’s equality through a middle class lens, from a feminist paradigm that cares about board room quotas and the objectification of women in the media, when all the time there are women out there who just want a job. For others, they would love to find more stimulating employment, but the system only allows them to do low paid, part time work, simply because they’ve got young children or elderly parents to look after.

Feminism is for everyone

I’ve been left with the impression that it’s not so much women who are at the bottom of society’s pile, but poor women. This is shown by another of the report’s findings, the fact that the pay discrepancy between professional and low-skilled women is 80 per cent compared to 60 per cent between men. Many women are climbing the ladder, but they’ve lost sight of their sisters who are struggling to get off the ground.

Perhaps part of the problem is the way we women who have a voice express ourselves. As Carole Easton, chief executive of the YWT, says, “my concern is that a feminist rhetoric that’s exclusively about women around the board table is not always helpful – it doesn’t make a difference to young women without qualifications, without even a foot on a rung let alone a foot under the board table.” Maybe it’s time to find a feminist language that expresses the concerns of all women, not just a privileged minority.

Top five myths about young British women

Girls get more out of school than boys

The truth: Although girls outperform boys in general, boys outperform girls in what are known as ‘facilitating subjects’, such as maths, physics and chemistry, which lead to higher paid jobs.

Most NEETs (people Not in Employment, Education or Training) are men

The truth: The Office for National Statistics shows that in 2013 the employment rate for women was 67 per cent, compared to 76 per cent for men.

Women and men are paid equally nowadays

The truth: Women still earn less than men. Part of the problem is ‘occupational segregation’ – the distinction between ‘jobs for girls’ and ‘men’s work’. There are two million women in low paid jobs as compared to one million men.

Teenage pregnancy is rife

The truth: The public believe that 15 per cent of girls under the age of 16 get pregnant in Britain each year. The actual figure is 0.6 per cent.

Mental health problems are the same for both sexes

The truth: Research shows that women are two and a half times more likely than men to need treatment for depression and anxiety.